Üsküdar University welcomes the new academic year

The beginning of Üsküdar University 2023-2024 Academic Year was held with a ceremony. The first lecture of the new academic year was given by TÜBİTAK President Prof. Hasan Mandal.

Pointing out that two types of identities have emerged in society from the Ottoman Empire to the present, President of Üsküdar University Prof. Nevzat Tarhan said that there are tides between the two poles in Türkiye and this causes cultural confusion. Evaluating this situation as an identity crisis, Tarhan added that there are things to be done to overcome this identity crisis on the 100th anniversary of the Republic.

Üsküdar University, which started out as the first thematic university of our country in the field of behavioral sciences and health and pioneered many academic studies in different fields, especially medicine, health, science and technology, began the 2023-2024 Academic Year with a ceremony.

Üsküdar University's first lecture of the new academic year was given by the President of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK) Prof. Hasan Mandal. Prof. Hasan Mandal made a presentation titled 'Innovative Science and Technology Approach to Challenges Requiring Urgent Solutions'.

Prof. Nevzat Tarhan made an opening speech

The opening speech of the ceremony at Üsküdar University Main Campus Nermin Tarhan Conference Hall was made by President of Üsküdar University, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan.

Starting his speech by saying, "Best wishes on our new academic year," Tarhan said that as the corridors becomes more festive with students, the university atmosphere is experienced, and universities are not only places where information is transferred, but also socializing and cultural transfer areas.

We owe a lot to that founding staff...

Prof. Tarhan celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Republic with the opening. Stating that the ceremonies of the year are united, Tarhan said:

"When Istanbul was occupied, a movement was awakened in Anatolia. It was a movement that was silently supported by the Istanbul government at the time, as historians say... We owe a lot to the founding staff of that movement. We owe a lot to the founding leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and the military staff."

Our cultural confusion still continues

Pointed out the importance of celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Republic, Tarhan stated that events such as switching from one form of management to another are traumatic events, and that it is necessary to overcome such events in a correct and healthy way.

Stating that the empire, which ruled the Middle East for 400-500 years in a fraternal manner and left very beautiful traces, was handed over while passing from the Ottoman Empire to the Republic, Tarhan said, "We could not mourn when we left such an ancestor and established the Republic, we turned it into complete mourning. As a result, our cultural confusion still continues."

Pointing out that the social polarization and lifestyle polarization will be corrected by making peace with the past and seeing the pros and cons of the past, Tarhan stated that the past is being ignored and trying to make a transition.

There is a lot to be done to overcome the identity crisis on the 100th anniversary of the Republic

Prof. Tarhan said: "This is one of the reasons why two types of identities have emerged in society at the moment. One is a society that has glorified the West, and the other group is those who defend the Ottomans, which we call anachronistic, only in a traditionalist way. Between the two poles, Türkiye experience a kind of tides of cultures. This is an identity crisis. It is a crisis of cultural identity, a crisis of sociological identity. There are things to do to overcome this identity crisis on the 100th anniversary of the Republic."

Explaining that the Republic was not the same as it was in the founding period, Tarhan continued his remarks as follows:

"It is anachronism to pretend that the world is experiencing the same crisis today, as in the first years of the Republic, and to advocate a totalitarian approach by saying, 'You will cut off the heads of 100 people, and this is how these people will recover'. The republic also has its own evolution in it. It was democratized in 1950 and is now becoming more global. The foundation of the republic is freedom of expression. Where there is freedom of speech, ideas collide. When ideas collide, the truth emerges. That is why it is so important that we move towards a republic with a libertarian republic, a republic with a liberal democracy."

UN blocks Gaza's solution

Drawing attention to the Israeli-Palestinian issue in his speech, Tarhan said that the structure of the UN has blocked the solution in Gaza.

Stating that the UN should be like the World Parliament, Tarhan noted that the UN is currently in an authoritarian and totalitarian management style. Prof. Tarhan stated that "I would wish that there were at least 5-6 awards such as physics prizes, chemistry prizes and mathematics from this geography on the 100th anniversary of the Republic, unfortunately there were any."

Emphasizing that asking the right question is more important than answering the question, Tarhan added that Türkiye will overcome the identity confusion.

Prof. Nazife Güngör: "We are preparing young people for the future"

Üsküdar University Rector Prof. Nazife Güngör stated in her speech that they have done a lot of work in a short time as a university and said that they prepare young people for the future with a human-oriented perspective with strong academic staff.

First lecture by Prof. Hasan Mandal: "Innovative Science and Technology Approach to Challenges Requiring Urgent Solutions"

The first lecture of the new academy was given by the President of the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK) Prof. Hasan Mandal. Speaking to the students with a presentation titled "Innovative Science and Technology Approach to Challenges Requiring Urgent Solutions", Prof. Hasan Mandal said: "I wish the 2023-2024 academic year to be fortunate. Hopefully, it will not just remain unfulfilled, but we will also see it in action. I found this invitation meaningful because it is the 100th anniversary of our Republic. If we understand it correctly, we will talk about the next century of Türkiye."

Our mission is to produce science, technology and innovation!

Mandal stated that “On the one hand, we are preparing for the next century of our Republic, on the other hand, unfortunately, we are witnessing what is happening in Gaza."

"There are students and professors who have lost their relatives at the university. May God rest their souls. It is not possible to be a mere spectator to this situation; however, it is also important not to be a spectator and what we do and how we do it. Our duty here at the point of representation is to produce science, technology and innovation. The need for it now is much greater than in the past. In the past, it was a choice, but now it is a necessity. It is more in our responsibility than yesterday to produce more science and transform science into value. To educate more students than yesterday and to make them usable not only to transfer knowledge while educating students, but also to make them usable with knowledge..."

Reminding that 18 undergraduate students from Üsküdar University are TÜBİTAK scholars, Prof. Mandal said that 233 people from Üsküdar University were provided with qualified human development support between 2018-2023.

Üsküdar University Science Awards found their owners

At the ceremony, the 'Science Leadership Award' was given to TÜBİTAK President Prof. Hasan Mandal by Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, the 'Young Scientist Award' was given by Prof. Hasan Mandal and Prof. Nazife Güngör to Asst. Prof. Cihan Taştan, and the 'Promising Scientist Award' was given to Üsküdar University students and advisors for the projects they developed and the awards they received. Vice Rector Prof. Sevil Atasoy, Vice Rector Prof. Hikmet Koçak, Vice Rector Prof. Muhsin Konuk presented the awards.

'Üsküdar University Special Award' was given to Türkiye’s National Volleyball Team

At the ceremony, the 'Üsküdar University Special Award' was presented by Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, Üsküdar University Chairman of the Board of Trustees Furkan Tarhan and Prof. Nazife Güngör to Üsküdar University Faculty of Communication Visual Communication Design Department Freshman İlkin Aydın on behalf of the Türkiye’s National Volleyball Team.

Aydın presented the signed jersey she wore in the championship

First, Aydın presented the jersey she wore in the championship matches and signed by her fellow players from the National Team.

National volleyball player İlkin Aydın, who is also a student of Üsküdar University, Faculty of Communication, Department of Visual Communication and Design, said the following in her speech at the ceremony:

"I think you know how difficult it is to have a profession and study at the same time in Türkiye. Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity. Although no matter how much sports have become a profession, they can always come to a stagnation point due to possible injuries. That's why I always wanted to have a diploma in my hand. I have been trying until this time, and I am very happy to be at Üsküdar University now. I would like to thank everyone who gave me this opportunity."

The Robe Ceremony was Held

As part of the New Academic Year Opening Ceremony, an Academic Promotion and Robe Ceremony was also held. At the ceremony, academicians who were promoted from Associate Professor to Professor, Associate Professor and Doctor were dressed in their robes. The ceremony ended with a family photo.

The program was also broadcast live on ÜÜTV and Üsküdar University YouTube account.

Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)